one-line definition
Dilution is the reduction in your ownership percentage when new shares are issued — it happens every time you raise money or grant equity to employees.
formula: New ownership % = Your shares ÷ (Total existing shares + New shares issued) × 100. Example: You own 1,000 of 1,000 shares (100%). You issue 250 new shares to an investor. Your ownership: 1,000 ÷ 1,250 = 80%.
tl;dr
Every point of equity you give away is a permanent slice of every future dollar your company earns. A 20% seed round at a $2M valuation sounds fine — until your company is worth $20M and that 20% represents $4M you do not own. Bootstrap if you possibly can.
Simple definition
Dilution happens when a company creates new shares and gives (or sells) them to someone else. Your number of shares stays the same, but the total number of shares increases, so your percentage ownership shrinks. It is like adding water to a glass of juice — same amount of juice, less concentrated. For solo founders, dilution is the cost of raising outside capital. You trade ownership for cash. The question is always whether the cash will create enough value to make the remaining smaller slice worth more than the original 100%.
How to calculate it
Post-round ownership = Your shares ÷ Total shares after round × 100
Walk through a typical journey:
| Event | Your shares | Total shares | Your ownership |
|---|---|---|---|
| Founding | 10,000 | 10,000 | 100% |
| Co-founder joins | 10,000 | 20,000 | 50% |
| Seed round (20%) | 10,000 | 25,000 | 40% |
| Employee pool (10%) | 10,000 | 27,778 | 36% |
| Series A (20%) | 10,000 | 34,722 | 28.8% |
After a co-founder, one seed round, an employee pool, and a Series A, you own under 29% of the company you started. This is normal in VC-backed startups — and exactly why many solo founders choose not to raise.
Example
You build a SaaS product doing $8k MRR. A VC offers $300k at a $1.5M valuation — 20% dilution. You would go from 100% ownership to 80%. The $300k gives you 18 months of runway to hire and grow. Alternatively, you could grow more slowly, reach $15k MRR in 12 months through organic acquisition, and own 100% of a more valuable business. At $15k MRR with a 5x revenue multiple, your business is worth $900k — all yours. With the VC route, even if you reach $30k MRR (double), a 5x multiple puts the company at $1.8M — your 80% is worth $1.44M. But you also owe the VC a board seat, quarterly updates, and the expectation of an eventual exit. The math only works if the VC money lets you grow dramatically faster than you could alone.
Related reading
Related terms
- Bootstrapping
- Runway
- Break-Even Point
FAQ
How much dilution is normal in a seed round?+
15-25% per round is typical. A $500k seed round at a $2M valuation means the investor gets 20% and the founder is diluted from 100% to 80%. After a seed and Series A, founders often own 50-65%. After Series B, 30-45%. Each round takes a bite.
Can solo founders avoid dilution entirely?+
Yes — by bootstrapping. Revenue-funded growth means 0% dilution. Some founders also use revenue-based financing or indie.vc-style structures that convert to a small equity stake only if the company gets very large. If you can get to profitability without outside money, you keep everything.